Ephemeral Pain, Abiding Joy
by Chaos Poet
Summary: Yeah, I suck at summaries....I know. Just read and reveiw please. Rated M just to be safe.


Authors Note: Hello everyone. I would like to welcome you all to my new story. This is something that has been done many times before in literature, but I have yet to see it done in a Final Fantasy X-2 story. If I am the first to write a story like this for the game, then I hope that I set the standards high for any that choose to write this kind of tale. I truly look forward to writing this fic, so I hope that I do not disappoint anyone.

Disclaimer: I don't own Final Fantasy X-2; well I own a copy of the game but I don't think that counts, does it? Anyways, on with the story.

_June 17__th,__ 2__nd__ year of the Eternal Calm._

_Silence has always been at its most deafening before the most horrible news is uttered. That's how it was when we heard about Wakka being killed. It had been a beautiful day, the sun was shinning and the weather was perfect, looking back now I should have realized that something bad was about to happen. We got a call from Lulu saying that we needed to come to Besaid, she was crying. _

_When we got there something seemed out of place. I remember walking around the village until I got to the center. On a slab of rock, surrounded by flowers and other forms of plant life, lay Wakka…dead. It hit me hard, to say the least. The man I had grown to respect and look up to like an older brother was dead and gone. I recalled one of the villagers saying that some bandits had ganged up on him. All I know is, these bandits must have been insanely strong to take down Wakka._

_I vaguely remember trying to bring him back with some spell or another, but it did no good. After that, everything just went black; it was as if the Fayth didn't want me to know what else had happened on that day. I really don't know if I should be thankful or angry._

_I remember waking up in Lulu's house the next day; a fire was lit up in the middle making it hard to see. I heard Vidina crying in his crib and no one else was around to hold him so I got up and lifted the little guy outta his bed._

_It's funny how, when you look at a baby, all of the troubles you have seem insignificant compared to what they're about to face. Vidina's father was dead. Sure he had a lot of people that loved him and would look after him like he was their own kid, but that couldn't replace the feeling of having a father._

_I know my old man and me aren't a good example of how a proper father and son are supposed to act, but hey, I loved him in the end. I think that it was then, looking at this small baby in my arms that I vowed to be there for him, so he wouldn't have to grow up without a dad._

_When I told everyone else that I would be staying for a while longer, I think Lulu looked grateful. I guess she didn't want to show that she would be lonely. I just wanted to help her cope and make life easier for her and her son. _

_I feel that she wanted me to stay longer too, because I kept getting chore after chore. She was constantly asking me to fix something or another. If I had never been thankful for that kid Shinra's com.-sphere before, I sure am now. I don't know if I could have done the repairs had it not been for him or someone else explaining it to me._

_Anyway, I digress. My time here has all but flown by. It seems like I just got here and it's been a year since… the accident. I've got to go now, a new day to start and a new chore to do._

Tidus closed the leather bound book he had been writing in and sighed, looking out his window and seeing Lulu playing with Vidina in her front yard. 'Has it really been a year,' he thought. He rubbed his eyes and yawned, stretching his arms out.

He whistled a tune and walked around his hut. It had been the abandoned one by the shop, and seeing as no one was living there, he claimed it. It took a while but he built a small, yet quaint home for himself. The best part was that he could see his 'family' just by looking out the window.

The blonde man picked up a picture that had been snapped of everyone on the day he came back. Everyone was smiling, even Paine. He hoped that she was treating Yuna all right.

He remembered holding her in his arms when he came back, and not really feeling the same rush he used to. He still loved her, but something had changed, he knew that she felt it too. They both ignored it as best they could, but when she had moaned Paine's name when they made love he knew they had to end it. They were still close, but they would never be as close as they once were.

Tidus sighed and put the picture frame down and made his way out of the place he called home. "Hmm, I've gotta go over to Lu's today and fix her roof," he mused aloud. The black mage had asked him to repair it when a powerful gust of wind had blown a portion of it off.

The man from Zanarkand grabbed his tool belt and picked up a music sphere before he walked outside into the bright morning light. He blinked and squinted a little at first, his eyes not accustomed to the unadulterated sunlight. Once he could see clearly he walked over to Lulu and tapped her on the shoulder.

"Hey, you needed your roof fixed," he asked her. She looked up at him and smiled, light filling her eyes. He loved seeing her smile. It brought back the Lulu he knew, the one that he had loved seeing when they were traveling. She nodded and got up, bringing her son with her.

"Look who's here Vidina," she said to her child, who wasn't paying anybody any attention, mainly focused on the swaying leaves of a palm tree. "We're going to go to Kilika today to pick up some food and visit Donna and Bartello. Do you want to come along," she asked the man in front of her.

Tidus nodded and smiled his trademark smile at her. "Sure, just let me get washed up before we leave," he told her as he removed his shirt. The days of summer had arrived and brought with them a heat that made hell seem cold.

Lulu had to stop herself from looking to long. The odd jobs she asked him to do had helped keep him in shape, though he hadn't needed it. He discarded his shirt by the door and went over to the ladder on the side of the house and clambered up.

Once he was at the top, he set his music sphere down and hit play. A very mellow sounding song came out of the device and he hummed along with it as he began working on his task, swearing occasionally as the hammer hit his thumb. "Why the hell haven't they invented one that won't do that? I mean we have airships and boats that can cross any sized ocean. Why not a hammer that doesn't hurt the person using it," he exclaimed after the fifth time he hit himself.

He shook his hand and gingerly sucked on the throbbing digit. He heard laughter coming from the ground and looked over to see Lulu looking at up at him. "You're complaining about those minor injuries, yet when we were fighting Sin the big ones didn't seem to faze you," she said through her peels of laughter.

"So this is the thanks I get for fixing your roof, huh," he asked in with false incredulity. "I hurt my hand and you laugh. Gee thanks for the concern Lu," said Tidus in a joking voice.

"I've got some ice water if you want any," she said, looking up at him. "You look like you're about to die of dehydration. You just might too, if you keep sweating like that,"

Laughing, Tidus climbed down off of the roof and went under the shade of her porch. "Thanks Lulu," he said, draining one glass before pouring another over his head and sighing in relief. "Oh that's good," he mumbled, feeling the water make icy tendrils on his neck and back.

The sorceress had to look away to hide the blush that had appeared on her face. 'Has he always looked like this,' she thought. His skin had darkened from all of the time he spent outside on the island either working on something for Lulu, or playing with Vidina. His hair had grown longer and he had pulled it into a ponytail to keep the locks out of his eyes. His eyes, those shinning blue gems, had somehow grown brighter. They still retained the benevolent nature he had but were accented by a sense of maturity.

The muscles on his arms and chest seemed to have become more defined by all the labor he did. Lulu had to stop her gaze from traveling any further to halt any unnecessary thoughts. 'Get a hold of yourself Lu. You can't get start thinking like that now,' she thought. She shook her head to clear her thoughts and smiled at Tidus.

"It's really hot out isn't it," she asked. He nodded and sipped on another glass of water, running his fingers through his hair. Tidus smiled softly and watched the trees sway in the salty sea wind.

"What's the kid up to," he asked, jerking his thumb over his shoulder, gesturing to Vidina.

"Sleeping. Which is surprising considering how loud you've been," Lulu teased. She laughed when he huffed and slouched against the wall. "You're the one that asked. By the way, what's that song called," she asked.

"It's one that I had with me from when we were all traveling. It's called 'I Will Follow You Into The Dark.' I think a group called 'Death Cab For Cutie' is the one that plays it," he said. "I really like it," he added.

"Well you're not alone in that. It's a lovely song," she said smiling at him. "How much longer do think it will take," she asked, pointing at her roof.

Tidus swallowed the last of his water before replying. "I only need to put the palm leaves up there now. After that, I'll be done," he sighed, obviously proud of his work.

It warmed her heart to see him take pride in such a small task, it reminded her of Wakka some. She loved the way they both would do something with immense care, always aiming for perfection. 'He's a lot like you love,' she said to the memory of her husband. 'Our son adores him and I'm pretty sure that he loves our son like he would love his own,' she said to herself.

"Hey Lu, are you alright," Tidus asked, snapping Lulu out of her musings. She shook her head and looked over at him.

"Yes, just thinking," she replied, smiling at the man to her left. This seemed enough for him, as he shrugged and walked back over to the ladder.

"I'll be done in about fifteen minutes. It'll take about twenty for me to get completely clean afterwards though so wait for me at the docks, ok," he told her, climbing up the rungs of the ladder.

She nodded and walked back inside to check on her little one. He was still sound asleep, breathing lightly in his basinet. She sat down in a rocking chair and was soon lost in her thoughts.

Tidus was lost on the same path. His thoughts were running to and fro, confusing him slightly. His best friends widow, he couldn't believe it but he was starting to fall for her.

Authors Notes: That's it for chapter one. Hope that you enjoyed and I will be posting a new chapter soon. See in the next chappie!!!!!!!!!!^^


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